TOXIC BLOODLINES 1/4

SLICE

KIMBERLY

I woke in the early hours of the morning, 3:45 a.m. I was on the floor in a cold sweat, confused. I couldn't remember the previous night.

As I got off the floor, a dull pain began to make its way through my body. I crawled onto my bed and under the covers. I shut my eyes again. Then I heard scratching sounds from my ceiling; I was too exhausted to investigate.

I shut my eyes for what felt like only a few minutes before I was woken up by my uncle's alarm for Fajr. I tried to go back to sleep, but the sound of my aunt moving through the house made it difficult. I gave up and sat in bed, staring at the ceiling, preparing for another day of doing nothing. I had caught up on all my schoolwork within the first three days of the lockdown. I wanted to be ahead, but now I regret it. Maybe I can complete that review.

When I finished thinking about how to spend my day, my morning alarm went off. I sat up and let it ring for a few seconds before I turned it off. I scrolled through my socials and then checked my messages. Arik wanted to meetup today: grab lunch and watch a movie at his house. A part of me wanted to stay in bed and read, but I didn't want to stay home either. Regular classes wouldn't start for another week, so I might as well take advantage of this free time.

Why not?

Accepting Arik's offer, I told him to come pick me up around 10:30 a.m. because Uncle Ahmed would be at work, so I could easily step out without him noticing.

I got ready for the day, but I couldn't shake off the feeling of impending doom. A strange kind of anxiousness sat in my stomach - even my skin felt tingly. Maybe I should cancel. I stared at the text I was about to send for a few seconds, then deleted it.

Just relax.

I headed downstairs so I could make something to eat before I left. Uncle Ahmed was seated in the dining room, breakfast on the table. The food didn't look like something my aunt would've made.

He cooked?

Peeping into the dining room, I quickly buttoned up my denim jacket. I hoped he wouldn't notice that I was too overdressed for a day indoors. I thought he'd be at work by now. I tried to sneak past him. My uncle purposefully cleared his throat. "Rani," he called out.

I winced, then walked back. I poked my head into the dining room. "There's food on the table." Baba lifted his eyes from behind the newspaper. He looked at me head to toe and squinted like he was onto me.

"As-Salaam-Alaikum." I greeted him, trying to figure out what he was up to. Was I in trouble? Did I just get busted? I've been so careful; I knew I should've canceled!

"Wa-Alaikum-Salaam," Baba smiled, greeting me back.

"I actually left my phone upstairs," I backed away.

With his hand, he gestured for me to sit down. I sighed and took my seat. It was 10:28 a.m. I was counting down the seconds I had left until Arik would arrive. The man across from me wasn't getting up anytime soon. Then, Arik sent me a message, and the notification was loud. Baba huffed and shook his head.

Crap! "Oh, it was in my pocket the whole time," I saw the notification on my lock screen. Arik was outside.

Are you kidding me? Just smile, and act normal. Maybe, he'll leave.

The plan was to eat some of the food he had prepared, then I'd tell him Sara needed help with a project. He wouldn't notice Arik's car if I rushed out fast enough. Who am I kidding? This plan of mine solely rested on Uncle Ahmed staying right where he was.